AllFreeNovel
Share Us
She looks at me again. It’s pure hate. It’s like an animal response. “I donotlie to my daughter,” she snaps. “We were together. Now, we’re not. I’d rather not talk about it.”
What does that mean? Did it end badly? Did he do something? “No, you’re right. I’m sorry.”
“You don’t have to be sorry.” Mom nods, glances at me, and looks away. “Shall we watch another movie?”
There’s nothing else I can do. Not unless I’m willing to interrogate Mom after she watched a man die in front of her. I haven’t mentioned it, but I can still see the red in her hair as it dries. It must be blood.
I’ll need a narrative going forward. That’s what the library has taught me. People can tolerate almost anything if they can frame it in a story. So my story can either be I’m the woman who fell hard for her Mom’s ex, the crazy guy who kidnapped her and could never let him go. Or I’m the woman who had a fling. Things got steamy and confusing, and then I shrugged it off—no big deal.
I swallow. This is going to be tough.
CHAPTERFOURTEEN
Jamie
As I lead Demon toward the main entrance of my apartment—not the door to my private garage—I think about Lena leaving today. The idea of her not being close to me, even if she’s pissed, even if it’s confusing, drives me nuts. I need her there. Her womb, her soul, her future. Everything.
I pause at the panel. What if the hired guns Antonio hired spread stories about the hard drive? Spread Simone’s name? They’d be able to get to them. Antonio was low level. He was clearly on drugs all the time. I doubt anybody would take him seriously, but is it worth the risk?
Maybe I’m giving myself an excuse. I touch the panel, swipe my thumb, and then start selecting features to activate fifteen seconds after I lock the door. Soundproofing, complete lockdown, subtle shifts in my glass, making it more difficult to see inside, even with lenses. Jack would be astounded. He was never rich enough to afford all these gadgets, at least when I knew him.
I don’t hang around long enough to second-guess myself. Demon walks at my side as I leave the apartment, lock the door, and enter the elevator. Two cops talk to the security guard as I walk across the lobby.
“Mr. King?” Tim, the security guard says, turning to me. “I’m sorry, sir…”
“Are you Mr. King? Jamie King?”
I stroke the top of Demon’s head. We’re standing just off to the side of the desk. This is an upscale building. A lady in a fur coat gives me a sour look as she clicks past on her heels like I give a damn.
“Yes, I am,” I say casually.
One of the cops is a tough-looking woman who looks like she’s got a bad attitude. She’s eyeing me up, lip curled. The other is a tall, lean man with soft eyes and a smile. I guess this is good cop, bad cop.
They give me their names. Good cop is O’Malley, and bad cop is Ramirez.
“Do you mind if we speak upstairs?” Ramirez says. “Most people prefer that.”
“Especially around these parts,” O’Malley says with too much cheeriness.
“I’d love to, but it would mean abusing the little man here.” I gesture to Demon. “Once he gets it into his head we’re going for a walk, he won’t accept anything else. Unless you’re down to wrestle with him, we should probably talk here.”
Ramirez flinches, glancing at her partner. I wonder if she’s trying to make detective. She’s definitely the keener of the two.
“Fair enough,” O’Malley says with a nervous laugh.
“Do you know Simone and Lena Harwood?” Ramirez asks bluntly.
“Yes. I dated her mother a while ago.”
“Define a while ago.”
I shrug. “I’m not sure.”
“Do you suffer from memory problems, Mr. King?”
O’Malley sucks in a breath. This isn’t how cops usually speak to people around here.
I just smile, presenting a confused man. “I can’t exactly remember.”
